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Westminster College Parking Policy 2024-2025

Part of the beauty of Westminster College is that it is a pedestrian campus. All community members are encouraged to walk to classes, meals, athletics, meetings, and campus events. In order to park on campus, all vehicles must display a current Westminster College student parking decal, employee parking hang tag, or designated visitor pass. Temporary student parking passes for special circumstances are available at the Department of Public Safety (DPS) office located in the basement of Thompson-Clark Hall (Room #176) located just up the ramp from The TUB. Examples of temporary passes include, but are not limited to, temporary vehicle exchanges due to maintenance issues and students requiring a handicap spot due to injuries.

Westminster College students with vehicles will obtain parking decals as follows:

1. Register vehicle by logging into the link below and follow the instructions regarding registration and payment. www.westminster.edu/vehicle-registration 

2. The cost of a student parking decal is $125.00 for the entire academic year. Make payment via Transact, cash, or check at the Business Office located on the second floor of Old Main.

3. Pick up parking decals Mon-Fri, 8:00 am to 4:00 pm in the DPS office. Beginning August 12th parking decals will be available for pick up at the Department of Public Safety office. Vehicles must be registered and parking decal paid for before decal can be issued.

Advance sale of parking decals begins July 1 at 10:00 AM for all students. The registration process is not complete until the parking decal is affixed to the registered vehicle as required.

Vehicles are to be registered by the first day of classes or within two business days of bringing the vehicle to campus.

Student Parking Decal Placement

Student parking decals are to be permanently affixed on the vehicle for which the decal is registered/issued to and are to be placed on the outside lower left corner of the rear window. Decals are not to be transferred to another vehicle(s) without prior authorization from the DPS. If a registered vehicle is replaced during the registration period, a new sticker will be issued at no cost. Please return the decal being replaced. When putting on the new decal ensure that that any previous year decals are removed from the vehicle. In order to ensure the decal will stick to the window, use a dry cloth to clear the area of any moisture or dirt prior to applying.

Employee Hang Tags

All employees and long-term independent contractors supporting the college are required to obtain a blue employee hang tag. These hang tags can be obtained from the DPS office and will be issued during the on-boarding process at no cost. The employee hang tags are required to be placed on the rear-view mirror facing outward.

Parking Lots/Spaces

A student parking decal does not guarantee a parking space in close proximity to assigned residential halls. Convenient parking can be a challenge on campus, but there remains ample parking for the entire community during weekly routine campus operations. Community perception for lack of parking will not be considered justification for violating parking regulations.

Motorcycles require a parking decal and are required to park in a designated parking spot.

Parking Lot Assignments

Parking lots are conveniently marked with a letter and a color-coded sign that clarifies what type of parking decal/hang tag can park in that specific lot. The simple rule to follow is that if the designated color on the parking lot signs matches the color on the parking decal/hang tag, the student/employee can park there. If it doesn’t match, the student/employee cannot park there and the vehicle is subject to ticketing or towing.

The following is the breakdown of parking decal colors and the lots for which they are authorized, and is supported by the parking map:

Red Decals: All resident first-year students with a vehicle on campus are issued red decals. First-year students may only park in Lot G the visitor side football field parking lot located behind the visitor bleachers and the tennis court lot.

Yellow Decals: All resident upper-class students with a vehicle on campus are issued yellow decals and are authorized to park in any of the approved lots articulated in the parking map and supported by the parking signs.

Blue Decals: All resident upper-class students living in Shaw Hall are issued a blue decal and are only authorized to park in Lot C.

Green Decals: Commuters are only authorized to park in Lot D and Lot E. Students that reside in off-campus fraternity houses are considered commuters and are required to obtain a parking decal if they intend on parking a car at any time on campus.

Visitors: For students that have visitors on campus for any amount of time (friends, family, etc.), the student is required to obtain a temporary parking pass for your guest and they can only park in Lots E, F, I, L, and P (see parking map). Students can obtain a Guest Pass by going to link listed below, filling out the information, and printing a copy of the pass that is required to be placed and visible inside the vehicle windshield.

www.westminster.edu/guest-vehicle-registration

For staff and faculty that will have professional visitors on campus for any reason, they are required to complete the same process at the link above, where these guests can park anywhere other than the dedicated student lots.

 

Parking Fines: The College’s parking fine schedule for campus is as follows:

  • Unauthorized Parking In A Handicapped Spot - $100
  • Failure To Display Current Parking Decal - $60
  • Parked Where No Spot Exits, Fire Lane, Loading Zone, Designated No Parking Area - $50
  • Parked In Unauthorized/Reserved Lot - $30
  • Parked While Parking Privileges Revoked - $125

 

Parking fines are payable by cash or check at the College Business Office in Old Main. Unpaid fines will be charged against a student’s account.

Enforcement and Towing

Accumulation of a total of three (3) or more parking tickets for parking on campus without a decal or accumulation of seven (7) or more parking tickets for any violations may result in loss of on-campus parking privileges. Vehicles belonging to those who have lost parking privileges will be towed at operator’s/owner’s expense each time they are found parked on campus after revocation of their parking privileges. If a tow truck is not available, a $125 fine will be assessed for parking on campus while privileges are revoked.

The College reserves the right to tow a vehicle at any time at the owner’s expense if it is obstructing traffic, disrupting college operations, parked in a non-parking spot/area, parked on a sidewalk, parked in a tow-away zone, parked in a handicap designated area, or is not in compliance with this policy. The Westminster parking policy is enforced 24/7 and includes weekdays and weekends.

Parking Ticket Appeals Process

To dispute a ticket, individuals must submit a written appeal within 10 calendar days of the ticket date. Appeals must be completed and received at the Public Safety office within the required time limit, anything after this timeline will not be eligible for an appeal and the results are final.

Parking ticket appeals can be submitted at the following link: www.westminster.edu/parking-appeal

The following reasons will not be considered justifiable grounds for appeal:

  1. Parking illegally with four-way flashers activated
  2. Parking illegally for a short period of time
  3. Claiming to be unaware of Westminster College parking regulations
  4. Parking illegally in a handicap spot

Liability

Westminster College assumes no responsibility or liability for loss or damage to any motor vehicle parked on or adjacent to the grounds of Westminster College. It is highly recommended that no valuables be placed in the vehicle while it is on campus and always ensure your vehicle is locked.